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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Review: Achieving Big Hair with Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder

While many of you may brandish the straightening irons on a daily basis, my days of sleek, smooth locks are long gone. I'm not saying that every day is a bad hair day - though I definitely have my fair share of those - but that nowadays, I'd much rather plump for bouncy, voluminous hair with a bit of a wave or a curl.

Achieving lasting volume is no mean feat. Over the years, I've tried root-boosting sprays, mousses and powders alike, but the goal has never quite been in easy reach. Many of them - much like my hair - fell flat, leaving my hair limp and crispy with product. Or worse still, they left me with greasy-looking locks, despite having just stepped out of the shower. The closest I ever came to success was the TreSemme plumping powder, which when sprinkled into the roots and rubbed in, gave me the big hair I'd always dreamed of. It wasn't long, however, until my hair began to feel sticky and greasy, so much so that I'd race straight to the shower each evening after work to wash it out. So, it's fair to say that when the Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder came onto my radar, I wasn't exactly racing to Boots, eager to join the queue.

Months later, things changed, and after hearing a torrent of complimentary conversations about the hair powder, I finally caved and bought it.

Bumble & Bumble Pret-a-Powder claims to be equal parts dry shampoo, style extender and volume, which immediately sets it apart from the other hair powders on the market. Priced at £21.50 for 56g, it's far from cheap, but given that you get the benefits of oil absorbency and volume all in one, it's a product that's worth a few moments of any beauty lover's time. If, like me, you are still putting off learning to blow dry your hair properly, or like most of us, you simply don't have the time, then Pret-a-Powder will be your best friend, adding extra oomph to lacklustre locks, and filling in the gaps between washes.

To use, I sprinkle liberally through my roots and massage in with my fingertips, and hey presto, big hair is mine. You can use a fair amount of product before you start to look as though you've been antiqued, which means that you can go a little bit crazy in your bid for extra oomph, should your style require it.

While I don't find the volume this provides to last all day per-se, all it takes is a quick scrunch of the roots to get things looking as they should again. I tend to do this several times throughout the day, and never find it necessary to apply any more product once my hair is styled. Pret-a-Powder does an excellent job of freshening up day-old hair, and I keep a bottle in my handbag for those moments when you catch sight of yourself in the mirror and have a sudden urge to run home and start again.

In spite of the price, this has become a hair-styling staple for me, and although the bottle is a little bit on the small side, it seems to last a remarkably long time. It's ideal for anyone with oily, fine or lacklustre hair, and it definitely gets the seal of approval from me.

What are your favourite volumising products? Are there any other Bumble & Bumble products you can't live without?